The Divinity Developer Explains Its Application of AI Tools for Upcoming Divinity Game

The team behind hit role-playing games like Baldur's Gate 3 and Divinity: Original Sin just teased its next major project, sparking a wave of excitement within the player base. However, follow-up comments from the company's lead designer have brought clarity to the discussion, focusing on the team's philosophy toward machine learning.

Augmenting Workflows, Not Cutting Jobs

In a recent statement, Larian's director outlined that the developer is utilizing AI technology for certain preliminary purposes. These encompass developing pitch decks, generating initial visual ideas, and drafting draft text.

Importantly, Vincke stressed that the shipping assets in the game will be created entirely by human artists. "Larian is creating every line manually," he affirmed.

Larian is constantly growing our team of concept artists and are busily assembling dedicated writer rooms.

Given that visual development is being particularly referenced — we right now have twenty-three artistic staff and have job openings for more creatives.

All our efforts we do is supplementary and aimed at letting our team spend additional energy on actual creation.

Every ML tool applied correctly is supplementary to a developer's workflow, not a substitute for their craft.

Tempering Reactions with Clear Intent

The revelation of AI usage originally generated concern among a segment of the community. In response, Vincke offered further elaboration on social media.

"We use these tools to research ideas, similar to we use search engines and physical media," he explained. "In the initial brainstorming phase we use it as a simple sketch for structure which we then replace with authentic illustrations."

He added, "Our studio recruits creatives for their creative vision, not for their ability to replicate what a machine suggests."

Key Areas of AI Integration

Vincke had earlier detailed the studio's focused approach to AI and ML, defining its use into primary areas:

• Automation of Tedious Tasks: This encompasses polishing mocap data, voice editing, and pipeline-specific tasks like adjusting assets for various species.
• Rapid Prototyping ('White Boxing'): Using technology to quickly build basic models of gameplay ideas to test concepts before expensive development.
• Experimental Frontiers: Researching how machine learning could eventually facilitate emergent reactivity, particularly in managing unforeseen permutations in a vast role-playing world.

He specifically affirmed that key artistic areas — including visual art — are not areas where the team is reducing human involvement. In fact, Larian is recruiting more in these very positions.

"Larian is neither launching a game with any AI components, nor planning on cutting teams to substitute them with AI," Vincke concluded.